UPDATE: Rotating outages resume as energy demand rises

Rotating outages have resumed across Newfoundland Wednesday due to cold temperatures and increased energy demand, according to a note posted on Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro's website.

Hydro line

Hydro said Wednesday's outages will be the first rotating ones since Monday. Warmer weather since then has lowered demand and allowed the Crown corporation to adequately supply the province's needs.

A higher demand was experienced throughout the day, even extending beyond the morning peak period.

While it said progress was being made with work on a generating unit that's currently not operating at the Holyrood plant, Hydro decided it would be best not to rush Holyrood into service for the sake of avoiding rotating outages.

In its note, Hydro also advised people to continue conserving energy, adding that such measures may prevent someone else from experiencing an outage.

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(Earlier story)

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro reports on its website that with colder temperatures and higher winds, the load on the system is higher today.

"We surpassed yesterday’s peak of 1197 megawatts (MW) this morning with a peak of 1322MW on our system," the statement reads. "Load is expected to be higher again during the 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. peak this evening. We are monitoring the system closely, but there’s potential for rotating outages tonight as system load grows."

Hydro crews are continuing to work towards safely restoring system generation.

"We’re completing our assessment at the Holyrood switchyard and are making progress but we need to ensure we have the switchyard work complete before we bring the unit back onto the grid. At this time, work continues but we do not have a restoration time for the unit."

This seems more and more like a "system" distribution/capacity problem ----- in short, little or no proper planning, upgrading and maintenance. Nalcor's Planning document (section 3, System Capability) states --- "Hydro is the primary supplier of system capability to the Island Interconnected System, accounting for 78 percent of its net capacity...." ........ 78 % of 1,958 MW (our island NET capacity) is 1,548.3 MW . ..... So is this the capacity limit (nominally, 1,550 MW) that Dawn Daley was concerned about? .... Over the last 12 years, for half of those years the total island peak demand was about 1,600 MW (way above our recent peaks without incident). But much of that peak was due to high "industrial" load in western and central (so distribution on the Avalon was a lower share of the problem). Now, that load has shifted to the Avalon. The total island demand has not increased, but merely shifted to an area (the Avalon) where Nalcor/NL Hydro has failed to upgrade our distribution/capacity. WHY? --- Poor, inadequate planning, upgrading and maintenance. No need for Muskrat. Someone should be fired.

Well said.
On top of fired, they should be charged. There have been deaths, millions in losses for business, damaged appliances/electronics, frozen pipes and flooded homes, 1000s of students denied education, 1000s of people missing work and losing wages. The list goes on and on. No one is taking responsibility and no one is being held accountable. We will have to pay for these damages, not Nalcor and not the province, but us citizens on NL. Muskrat should be cancelled for the time being and the funds held dispersed to cover the damages due to this negligence on the part of Nalcor and the Premier as well as make the additional upgrades to see that this doesn't happen next year, and the year after. Even if Muskrat were to make a difference we needed that power years ago when they published the forecast numbers, not in 2017 or later.